February 02, 2016

Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

Is there anything better than a simple, perfectly baked sugar cookie?

YES! A simple, perfectly baked sugar cookie with a hint of lime and coconut.

This was one of the recipes I taught at a parent and child baking workshop at Create a Cook last month. It’s the kind of cookie that’s dangerous for me to have around the house because one cookie inevitably turns into four. And don’t get me started on the cookie dough. I made a batch the night before class and the 13YO caught me scraping the last of the batter out of the bowl with my hands, eyes glowing, like a raccoon on a midnight raid.

The secret is to bake these cookies just until the dough balls collapse into their final cookie shape but before they take on any color. The tops will puff and crack, and they’ll feel underdone if you probe them with your finger, but that’s the best time to take them out. Let them stand on the hot pan for a few minutes and then remove them to a rack so they cool to a soft, pliable chew.

Then tell me how in the world anyone can keep their paws off them.

Chewy Lime Sugar Cookies

Make sure to use unsweetened coconut, not the moist, overly sweetened stuff. If that’s all you have or if you’re a coconut hater, you can omit the coconut entirely or sub in 1/3 cup cornmeal, which will make the cookies resemble Dancing Deer’s incredible sugar cane lime cookies.

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg, vanilla extract, lime juice, and lime zest. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients and coconut. Mix until the dough coalesces into malleable clumps of dough.

Form rounded teaspoonsful of dough into balls and roll in the reserved sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1½ inches apart. Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven just until the tops puff and crack but before the cookies take on any color (ovens vary, so you may want to rotate your pans halfway through for more even cooking). Let them stand on the cookie sheets for two minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. Makes about 40 cookies.